Insufficient balance

  "Master, from a young age you taught us that our Huashan School is the orthodox school of Wulin, to punish evil and eliminate evil, to uproot the strong and support the weak, to be chivalrous and righteous," Linghu Chong muttered to himself, "while the Demon Sect is an evil sect, it is the most evil force in Jianghu, everyone in the Demon Sect is a murderer, killing innocent people, harming the Wulin."

  "I am a righteous person in the Taoist way. Whenever I encounter people from the demonic sect, there is no need to ask about right or wrong. I will treat them as sworn enemies and kill them without hesitation!"

  However, the disciple traveled the world and found that it was not so. The disciple saw many so-called orthodox people who appeared to be dignified on the surface but were actually male thieves and female prostitutes, committing adultery, murder, and robbery with despicable means that surpassed those of the demonic cult by a thousand times. These swinish and canine-like so-called orthodox people were truly the evil demons of the heretical path.

  "But on the other hand, some of those so-called evil sect members are open and sincere, with many being heroic and selfless. They seem more like orthodox practitioners. I don't understand, why is this?" Linghu Chong suddenly raised his head and stared straight at Yue Buqun.

  "Preposterous! Chong'er, you've already strayed from the right path and entered the demonic way!" Yue Buqun angrily said: "You're still young, how many people have you met, how many things have you experienced? The Demon Cult is cruel and violent, often annihilating entire families. How many fellow martial artists have died at their hands? And how many renowned masters of the past have successively fallen while vowing to fight the Demon Cult to the death, sacrificing their lives for the peace of the Jianghu?"

  "The Devil Sect is an evil cult, a great scourge on the martial arts world. If it's not eradicated, the Jianghu will never know peace!" Yue Buqun exclaimed loudly.

  "The Devil Cult is an evil cult, where did these famous schools and sects come from?" Linghu Chong retorted: "Among the so-called orthodox sects of the martial arts world, the Qingcheng Sect and the Five Peaks Sword Sect are no better than the Mount Song Sect, which is also a leader among them."

  "Qingcheng Sect Master Yu Canghai, as a generation of masters, but with a narrow heart, repaying kindness with enmity. The disciples he taught are all some kind of scum from the rivers and lakes. What's more, I've personally seen the so-called Qingcheng Four Fairies, they're nothing but a bunch of villains. There were nearly a thousand innocent people who died at their hands."

  "There is also the Mount Song Sect, Zuo Lengchan is sinister and cunning, ruthless and cruel, even more shameless than Yu Canghai. The thirteen Taibao of Mount Song are all tyrannical and domineering, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and the rest of his disciples are also deceitful and evil."

  "That year, the Five Mountains Sword Sect besieged the Devil Cult's Black Wood Cliff. Zuo Lengchan framed the deaths of the small town residents who died from the plague on the Devil Cult, slandering them as being killed by the Devil Cult. Shifu's wife spoke out for justice back then but was rebuked. What kind of good person is this Zuo Lengchan?"

  Linghu Cong was indignant and resentful.

  "How did you know about this?" Yue Buqun's face turned pale with shock upon hearing these words.

  "In those years, I was so focused on practicing my skills that I lost control and failed to kill Left Cold. Instead, he took advantage of the situation and became the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance, a position that had always been held by our Huashan School."

  "Zuo Lengchan is so arrogant because he thinks the Huashan School's talents are dwindling. Apart from Zuo Lengchan, the Songshan School has thirteen Taibao who are all top-notch martial artists in the Jianghu world. Even if Master is not weaker than Zuo Lengchan, who can contend with the thirteen Taibao of Songshan? The entire Huashan School only has one person, Shifu's wife, and adding to that, the Songshan disciples are numerous, their overall strength far surpasses ours, so we have been suppressed."

  "Haha, okay, I didn't expect that after two years of roaming the Jianghu you would finally understand." Yue Buqun suddenly burst out laughing, and after a while, he collected his smile and said seriously: "What is Jianghu? On Jianghu, it has always been a world of sword lights and shadows, blood rain and stinky wind. Whoever has the strongest power can dominate everything. If someone says you are an evil cult, then you are an evil cult. If someone says you are a bad person, then you will be hunted down by everyone. Chong'er, your personality used to be warm and honest, although your words were smooth and oily, but in your heart, you had a straightforward mind. There are some things that I couldn't explain to you."

  "This world has never been fair, the Songshan Sect is powerful, so the Songshan Sect represents the orthodox way of the Jianghu, what's wrong is also right. Our Huashan Sect is declining, as a master I must endure, one day our Huashan Sect will rise again and shake the Wulin." Yue Buqun said in a low voice: "Chong'er, you and I, master and disciple, join hands to create a glorious Huashan."

  "The disciples will follow the master, and I will make our Hua Shan sect prosperous and powerful, dominating the martial world and shaking the heavens!" Linghu Chong spoke with grand ambition. "Master, it is said that in the past, the Hua Shan sect was divided into the Sword Sect and the Qi Sect. The ancestors of the two sects had different ideas and fought each other, ultimately leading to the decline of the Hua Shan sect."

  "Huashan's Qi and Jian sects clashed, the high-ranking masters of both sects were killed or wounded, only your ancestor was severely injured and barely survived for a few years. He then passed on the position of Huashan Sect Leader to me before passing away." Yue Buqun said, recalling past events. "Your ancestor instructed me to make sure Huashan Sect flourishes, I have been diligent and hardworking, not daring to slack off. Although we have made some progress in the Jianghu world, but ultimately, it's still impossible to turn back time."

  "Cultivation requires a good foundation, choosing the right path. Once you take the wrong turn, you'll suffer a great loss and even go astray, losing control. As your master, I plan to teach you the Zi Xia Shen Gong, so you must cultivate it well."

  "Master, actually, I have been fortunate enough to receive the legacy of a supreme master during my two years of traveling in Jianghu. I learned an unparalleled sword technique and plan to specialize in it, hoping to achieve great success soon and make contributions to our Huashan School." said Linghu Chong.

  "Nonsense! You've already gone astray. I've told you before, from the inside out, cultivate your inner power to the extreme, and even a flying leaf or a flower petal can be transformed into a sharp sword. Why bother specializing in some specific sword technique?" Yue Buqun's face turned red with rage as he retorted, "Focusing on internal energy cultivation while supplementing it with sword techniques is the most correct way to practice martial arts."

  "Master, I, your disciple, beg to differ. Please enlighten me!" Linghu Chong decided to directly challenge Yue Buqun and turn his way of thinking around.

  Linghu Chong may have gained some fame in the Jianghu recently, but to Yue Buqun, who has been famous for many years, it's still not enough. Yue Buqun doesn't think Linghu Chong's martial arts can surpass his own. The small and insignificant Black Wind Gang and Longle Guild are also nothing more than a trivial matter that can be easily destroyed in Yue Buqun's eyes.

  Yue Buqun also wanted to change Linghu Cong's way of thinking, making him realize that the correct way of practicing martial arts in Huashan School was to focus on internal energy and supplement it with sword techniques.

  Linghu Chong did not use his heavy Xuan Tie sword, instead picking up an ordinary longsword. He said to Yue Buqun, "Master, be careful, I'm making my move!"

  Yue Buqun grasped his sword with a reverse grip, looking relaxed and carefree, as if he hadn't taken Linghu Chong seriously at all.

  "With a whoosh, Linghu Cong's swift sword stirred up a whirlwind. The Du Gu Nine Swords' ultimate move, the Breaking Sword Style, was unleashed, and in just ten moves, Yue Buqun, as a top-notch master of the Jianghu, was surprisingly pinned down by Linghu Cong's sword to his throat."

  "Chong'er, you... what kind of swordsmanship is this?" Yue Buqun was shocked and turned pale, almost wetting his pants.

  "This is the swordsmanship that I, a disciple, have obtained through my adventures. The predecessor who left behind this legacy had entrusted it with the condition that the successor must not reveal his identity or the swordsmanship." Seeing Yue Buqun's face turn somewhat dark, Linghu Chong chuckled and said: "However, I am not one to follow rules and conventions. This predecessor has been dead for several hundred years already, and he didn't leave any instructions forbidding me from using it to revive our sect."

  Linghu Chong took out a copy of the Du Gu Nine Swords manual that he had copied earlier from his pocket and handed it to Yue Buqun, naturally leaving out the most profound moves.

  "This sword technique is called Dugu Jiu Jian, created by the unparalleled master Dugu Qiubai, who was invincible in his time. It consists of nine forms: General Decisive Form, Sword-Breaking Form, Knife-Breaking Form, Spear-Breaking Form, Whip-Breaking Form, Rope-Breaking Form, Palm-Breaking Form, Arrow-Breaking Form, and Air-Breaking Form. This sword technique is profound and powerful, making one invincible in battle. By presenting the sword manual to our master, he can surpass Zuo Lengchan and teach some simple techniques to our fellow disciples, enhancing our overall strength. We will surely surpass Mount Song and dominate the world!"

  "Good! Good! Good!" Yue Buqun shouted loudly, his lips trembling with excitement, and said in a shaking voice: "Well done, young man, the master has not misjudged you, our Huashan School is promising to rise again..."